Test Audiences Hail Resident Evil for Mad Max: Fury Road-Level Action

You know it’s a weird time for video game movies when Resident Evil—of all franchises—is getting another fresh start, this time with somebody genuinely interesting at the helm. Early in 2025, it was announced that Zach Cregger (yeah, the Barbarian guy) would be taking the director’s chair (and writing, too) for a brand new Resident Evil film. If you’ve seen Barbarian, you probably know he’s all about keeping you off-balance, and his knack for horror isn’t exactly subtle. The guy didn’t lose the touch either: his next film, Weapons, snagged good reviews and even got Amy Madigan an Oscar. Not bad for someone who started in sketch comedy.

So, what’s going on with Resident Evil now?

The last attempt, Welcome to Raccoon City, stiffed at the box office and critics weren’t shy with their opinions. It was clear the series needed a full reboot if the movie franchise wanted to be taken seriously again. Enter Cregger, apparently fed up with playing it safe: he’s ditching the rote game adaptation approach (no more slavish retellings) and writing an original story, but still setting it in the familiar world of Raccoon City.

Here’s What We Know So Far:

• Main Character: Austin Abrams (best known from Euphoria) plays a bike courier in Raccoon City. That’s… literally all the plot detail anyone’s gotten so far.
• Production Timeline: Filming kicked off in October and by February, Cregger was already busy editing. The guy wastes no time when he’s on a roll.
• Test Screenings: According to reports from World of Reel, early test audiences really liked what they saw. Not just polite applause, but actual, excited reactions. One viewer summed it up as ‘lean, mean, and very confident’. In other words, this one doesn’t bother with bloat or filler—and it only runs about 90 minutes.
• Tone & Style: This Resident Evil is apparently all action—all the time. Someone even compared it to Mad Max: Fury Road (which is about the highest compliment you can pay an action movie right now), saying it basically never stops moving. If that’s true, it’s a huge shift from the usual lumbering zombie movie pacing.
• For the Fans: Cregger isn’t ignoring the games. Production design reportedly takes a page out of the classic Resident Evil look, and the monsters don’t shy away from practical effects. Longtime fans: expect to see familiar vibes all over the place.
• Violence & Rating: If you’re squeamish, maybe skip this one—test viewers are describing it as ‘excessively violent and gory’. This one’s aiming for an R rating, probably without much subtlety.

Why This Matters

Sure, comparing a video game adaptation to Fury Road is a bold move—maybe too bold—but if even some of the hype is real, Resident Evil could finally have a non-embarrassing movie entry. There’s something refreshing about a director betting on intensity and simplicity instead of convoluted backstory or video game lore dump.

The new Resident Evil is still on track for a September release, and given how little we know about it, there’s a good chance the best surprises are being kept under wraps. If the finished film matches what test audiences are seeing, this could be an actual, honest-to-god Good Resident Evil Movie. I know, I know—believe it when you see it, but I’ll take a confident genre film over whatever that last reboot was pretending to be.

'Lean, mean, and very confident.'

That’s the early word from folks who’ve seen it. Interpret that however much optimism (or skepticism) you’ve got left for this franchise.